A Tale As Old As Time
by Fictionismylife78
Summary: The Disney classic Beauty and the Beast, with an Infernal Devices twist. The young orphaned prince William Herondale is cursed to be a beast forever unless the beautiful Tessa Gray can fall in love with him before his 18th birthday.
1. Prologue

**Author Note: I was looking through my stuff and found both my Infernal Devices books and my DVD of Beauty and the Beast sitting next to each other and I could not help but think they had things relating to each other...So I wrote this. I shall be making it similar to the movie but the Infernal Devices characters will hopefully have their same personalities.(I say hopefully because only Cassie Clare can make Will extremely funny.)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the idea of Beauty and the Beast, nor do I own the characters... I feel worthless now!**

Prologue

On the outskirts of London, looking over the great city, lied a palace that held the royal Herondale family. Edmund Herondale and his wife had three children with raven hair and luminescent blue eyes, though their only boy was known to have the most prominent eyes, which were a bright shade of sapphire.

The beautiful family slowly died from a passing illness, leaving only the second-born and only boy alive. He was 9 years of age at the time but with his family gone and only the servants to raise him he began to grow ill-tempered and bitter.

On a stormy winter night during the boys twelfth year, a poor and frail peasant came knocking at the great palace doors. The young Herondale, surprised by the noise after being alone for so long, had forgotten life was occuring outside his castle. He walked to the door and opened it to see the old beggar and backed away, repulsed by her ragged appearance.

"I have no place to stay. May I stay in your palace warmth for the night so I shall not freeze?" asked the the ancient peasant, offering him a rose in return for the shelter. He laughed at her offer and turned his back to her.

"Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, sir. Do not be foolish enough to be convinced of ones worth by a simple appearance." she noted calmly. When the prince scoffed again and asked the doorman to shut the door on her, her mask drifted away to reveal a beautiful woman.

Her hair was a long and flowing blond and her eyes were captivating, for they were entirely blue and stared straight through into the prince's soul. She shined like the sun as she addressed him with a voice ringing like bells. The prince tried to apologize when he saw the beggars true self but the servant of fae ignored his pleas for mercy.

"There is no compassion or mercy in your heart. Your heart is of nothing more than a beasts." And with that the woman flashed her hands at him and bright light came from the tips of her long, delicate fingers and hit him square in the chest. He fell to the ground and writhed as his appearance transformed.

"Until you teach your heart to love and another is capable to love you back, you shall remain the way your innermost heart reflects. Beastly." she continued, grinning without humor, "This rose," She held up the rose she had previously offered and dropped it next to him, "will bloom until your eighteenth year and then it will die. You have until then to love and for it to be returned. If this occurs the spell will be broken but if not, you will remain a monster forever."

The glowing woman then dropped a book with gray bindings and a brown case next to the rose."This book will tell you what is going on in the outside world if you ask it to. Your question must be pointed though, not a general question."The prince shot up and slammed the door shut in the womans face and stormed up the staircase leaving claw marks in his wake.

He passed servants and saw they too transformed into what they resembled to be. The maids were cleaning supplies, where others were candles or violins. The prince rushed through his room to his mirror to see, not himself but a large black animal. He had large horns and claws to match his razor sharp teeth. He growled in rage and slashed at everything he could see in his bedroom but this, he knew, could not change him.

Years passed and the kingdom remained unaffected and the castle remained cursed along with its inhabitants. The aging Herondale became hopeless, for he knew no one could ever truly love a beast.


	2. Predictable

**Hey, I just want everyone to know things will be slightly different then the movie "Beauty and the Beast" because I am going try and keep The TID characters's personalities the same. And that I will most likely post a chapter every 2-3 days unless my homework is too much to handle. Then you might have to wait a little longer. Thanks.**

**Disclaimer:I do not own the characters, but I own this chapter. Just not what it is based off.**

Chapter 1: Predictable

London 1878

Theresa Gray had never lived outside her sanctuary of London though she longed for something much more adventurous. She wanted to be a heroine from one of her stories. One that was beautiful, clever, and daring who always got the happy ending. She considered herself none-of-the-above. She was taller than the fragile lady was supposed to be and she was not a beautiful blonde. She had brown hair, which her mother had said looked like chocolate but she thought it looked like mud, and boring gray eyes that looked like the London sky. Theresa, Tessa as he family had called her, also knew she could never have a happy ending. Not here.

Every day was the same for Tessa. She would leave her cottage that was positioned right next to the road that led to the large city of London. She would walk to the bakery to get a loaf of bread for the day and go to the market to get the vegetables and if she had enough money on her, some meat or poultry. She would buy some other things and sometimes sell their eggs for coin but Tessa only ever cared about going to one place. The Library.

She would walk into the normally empty Library and have a look around, though sadly the Library never seemed to get any new book and had a small selection. But it was freedom all the same. The Librarian seemed to be the only one nice to her but sadly he was beginning to go quite senile and she was afraid she did not know how long he would last. She had been lucky that day though since Mr. Starkweather had decided to just give her her favorite book in the store since she loaned it more than a dozen times already. As she walked out of the Library to go her regular route back home she noticed a man…a few men looking at her strange. She decided she had imagined it and opened up her book and began to walk towards her home.

Right as she had gotten to the part in her book where a mysterious man stops the carriage and she was on the edge of suspense the book was ripped from her hands. She gasped and looked up to see none other than Axel Mortmain. She had to stop herself from rolling her stormy eyes, for ladies never showed disrespect to a gentlemen even if the lady found the gentleman was none too gentle and she loathed him. He smiled down at her and inspected the book with a bored look.

"'A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens.' What are you doing reading books Theresa? Women are supposed to be doing house work and things of the like. Not _reading _rubbish like this." He noted as he said reading like it was more disgusting than a Welsh sewer.

"What do you understand about books, Axel? I was not aware of the fact that you could read." She says calmly, trying to retrieve her beloved book from his steel grasp. He sighs and throws it aside. She runs over and grabs it. She is about to run when he blocked her with his annoyingly tanned body. Oh, how she wished this man was not so infatuated with her. He was much older. She thought seriously.

"How is that waste of a brother doing? Has he gambled way your cottage yet?" She makes an indignant noise and decides to not respond. She quickly steps around him and scurries away to her house.

As her house came into view she looked down sadly. She attempted to refer to it as a home but ever since her parents and aunt had passed away due to the passing illness a few years ago, the warm word _home_ was diminished and not fit for the name. It was the place where her brother woke up with a dreadful hangover almost every night and woke feeling lighter since he spent all his coin on bourbon or cards. It was the place where she tried to create happiness from the scraps left after her majority of the families death.

She opened the door and set down the day's food so she could prepare a meal. She looked in all the rooms wondering why the silence was so overwhelming this time. "Nate?" Tessa yelled through the house and when no answer returned she assumed her brother left for the day and would be back for supper. Then, of course, he would leave again to waste himself at the closest tavern. Oh, how she wished her days were not so predictable and consecutive. She wished more than anything that she lived in one of the books she read. That her life was as easy as the words spoken in her stories, "Once upon a time."


	3. Lost

**Author Note: I am very sorry for how long it took to update this story. This chapter has been ready for about 5 days but I have had family issues and have not had time to add it to my story. I am starting the next chapter right now so you do not have to wait as long as you did last time. Again, sorry!**

**Disclaimer: Cassie Clare owns all of these characters except for the slight mention of the Mad Hatter and Wonderland. Lewis Caroll owns that.**

Chapter 2: Lost

Nathaniel Gray had got a little too intoxicated earlier that day and had passed out on a high stool in the back of the tavern he visited almost daily. He had awaken at sunset and realized in a panic that he was going to be late for supper. He hurriedly ran to the front of the building and just as he was about to run to his horse he realized all his money was gambled away. He simply had to have some coin to take home so Tessie was not overly disappointed with him.

He quietly walked back into the bar ,a plot forming in his mind, as he tip-toed over to a man with overwhelmingly muscled arms playing billiards. Nathaniel made sure there was not a suspicious look on his face as he stood beside the man and addressed him in a whisper. The man turned to Nathaniel and Nathaniel gave a clever smile and flipped his fair hair from in front of his eyes nonchalantly.

"That man over there," he points to a man sitting across from the fireplace and talking to the taverns daily customer 'Six-Fingered Nigel'. "Said you could not hurt a fly and that he pities you for your weakness. I, for one, believe you should show him just how wrong he is." Nathaniel said in an air of indifference as the man he was addressing grows red with rage and storms off to the supposed man that said this. Nathaniel quickly ran over to the front of the bar and waits for a ruckus. Once he hears the sound of a fist hitting flesh he sees the drink server rush to stop the fist fight leaving the cash box alone.

Nathaniel opens the top of the box and grabs a handful of silver from it before slipping the money into his pocket and rushing out the doors. He wasted no time as he got outside. He jumped onto his horse in one swift movement and dug his heals into the horses side. The horse galloped down the dirt road for about 5 seconds before Nathaniel felt the affects of his ale hit him and held on tightly to the horse's neck for he could not see straight as things passed him.

Nathaniel only began to come to his senses when rain began to pour down on him from the black English sky. He cursed and looked around just to realize his surroundings were not familiar. Nathaniel sighed and kept going deciding he could find a turn off eventually as he kept going. His eyes widened as after 5 minutes he was facing a large castle with obsidian walls surrounded by large rod iron gates. Nathaniel was about to turn around when he hesitantly decided to go to the palace and ask the master or mistress of the house how to get back to London.

Nathaniel climbed off his horse and tied its ropes to a low tree branch before he started up the path to the front of the place. After finally getting to the front he knocked on the large mahogany doors and waited for a response. When he got none he knocked again before slowly opening the door slightly to peer in. When he looked through he just saw a dark entranceway. He quietly entered the castle, looking around curiously as he walked. He saw a few lit candles shining and he smiled knowing someone has to be here then,

"Hello?" Nathaniel shouts, "Is anyone here?"

"Yes sir." Answers an invisible voice. "Welcome"

Nathaniel turns around confused because the voice sounded very close, though nothing is there.

"Who is there? Reveal yourself please. I just need directions back to London." exclaimed Nathaniel with his curiosity growing larger.

"Of course, sir. Please do allow us to treat you to a meal. It is no problem and I am sure Agatha will be pleased to have a new mouth to feed." Said the invisible voice and Nathaniel had just labeled the voice male when someone tapped him on the shoulder. Nathaniel turned to look at the person who tapped his shoulder and began to yell obscenities when he saw that the "man" that tapped his shoulder was not a man at all but rather a coat rack. Nathaniel stared in amazement as the coat rack began to talk.

"My name is Cyril and I will be showing you to where you will be having your dinner." declared the coat rack calmly.

"I must have drank more than my fair share." murmured Nathaniel and Cyril asked him if he would like some coffee which Nathaniel accepted. Cyril walked Nathaniel through narrow hallways and abrupt corners until he reached a blazing fireplace with a large chair in front of it and an empty table.

"Please do sit. Agatha has already started your coffee." Noted Cyril and Nathaniel sat in the large chair to warm himself. When Agatha came and poured his coffee he nearly passed out to see the teapot as the famous Agatha.

"Where is the Mad Hatter?" smirked Nathaniel and when they looked at him with confusion he tried to explain." I was wondering where he is because this must surely be Wonderland… I am really drunk aren't I?" He asked more to himself than the others before chugging down his coffee. He had another cup before wondering why Cyril and Agatha still looked like inanimate objects. He shrugged and got serious. "Now onto serious matters. How do I possibly get back to London? May I have directions?"

"Oh, I can give you directions." said a deep and somewhat sarcastic voice behind him. Nathaniel felt a chill go down his spine as he heard the voice, for it sounded dark and cold. "Before that though, would you like to take something else? Perhaps my crown? You seem to have already taken my chair." Nathaniel then heard a loud crash and a roar behind him and slowly stood before a large brown arm hit him straight back into the chair.

"I am sorry sir. I was not aware that this was your chair…"Nathaniel stopped talking when he found the source of the voice behind him growling in his ear. He turned and was face-to-face with a great beast. The beast was covered with brown fur and had large claws . He was extremely hideous except for his piercing sapphire eyes which were staring him down.

"Have you come to stare at the beast?" The beast gave a cruel laugh and continued. "Have you come to destroy all peace in this castle or only my innermost peace, because you intruding on my property irks me."

"Please I meant no disrespect. I just got lost and-"

"And you wanted directions. Because Will Herondale is such a giver, I will give you directions. Just not to your precious London." And with that, the beasts claws dug into the back of Nathaniel's shirt and dragged him out of the chair. Nathaniel cried out and the beasts servant cringed as Nathaniel Gray was dragged away. Later, the only proof Nathaniel was there at all was the silver coins that remained where Nathaniel last stood as a free man.

**I hope this chapter was okay. I have been slightly distracted so this chapter was not great. Also, it took me a little longer to write this chapter because I have not decided what household objects each character is. I wanted to add Charlotte to this chapter but I am not positive what she will be, nor am I sure about Henry, or Jem. If you have any ideas I would be glad to hear them along with any other characters if you want them as certain objects. Review!**


	4. Startled

**Authors Note: I am _REALLY_ sorry that it took so long for an update. My lap top crashed and it took me until last...Tuesday(?) to get it finally fixed. I had to copy, edit, and add to this chapter last week and it was ready by Friday night but I hit some problems. The first one was...I fell asleep at the keyboard on Friday. The second was I had to got to my grandparents who live 2 hours away from my house who have no Wi-Fi just to spite me. Ant the third is, I had to sleep over at my friends house on Sunday because my parents had a funeral to got to. So here I am giving you excuses why my chapter is so late, even if the excuses are pure truth and unfortunate. But no more excuses.**

**I added two quotes from the books. Review and tell me if you found them. Also the quotes are phrased exactly as they are in the books so this is the part where I say I give all credit it to Cassandra Clare and Disney. Well that, and I gave an overview of a chapter in A Tale of Two Cities so...I will give some credit to Charles Dickens too. With that being said enjoy my longest chapter yet.**

Chapter 3: Startled

Tessa had been worried for about two hours after the sun had set but then cursed herself internally. She knew Nate had most likely fallen too intoxicated to come home and was sleeping at the tavern. She frowned at this but there was not a thing she could do about his behavior. She knew he drank to mask the pain of loss, just like she read to escape it and she was not going to stop his crutch…even if it was an awful one. He was dependent of her to keep things going right and sane just as much as she was dependent of him to keep her from being completely alone. If she was ever without him, she knew she would be forgotten and not cared for. If no one cares for you at all, do you even really exist?

Tessa put a thin cyan cloth over the pot of vegetable soup she made for her and Nate to eat for dinner and then opened the sturdy oak door to carry it outside. She set it down on the small, plain wooden table on the porch, knowing the cool night air would make it cold enough to preserve it for the day. Tessa then stepped inside and shut and locked all the doors and windows before settling off to bed. Tessa walked to her bed and settled in it, pulling her comfortable navy blue blanket over her. She looked up at the wooden cottage ceiling and sighed, worried deeply for her brother. She knew he had fallen asleep in taverns before, but there was something different about this time. She felt as if… something was wrong though she knew that could not be true.

What could have possibly happened? They lived right next to the largest city in England and the surrounding towns were large as well. She decided to think nothing of it and closed her eyes, swiftly drifting to sleep as rain began to hit the roof.

She dreamed she was on an obsidian balcony overlooking London. The night air was cold and the stars were bright, despite the fact that they were crying. She was surprised that she could see the glowing diamonds of the night with all the rain. She was fascinated by the view of this balcony but with her being the curious woman she was, she turned to her surroundings. Behind her was a room that was ripped to shreds. Paintings were torn apart, a beds blankets were in disarray, and furniture was clawed. Tessa was very interested in a painting still hanging on the wall next to the bed but was not able to get close enough to see it entirely. Only the eyes from the portrait were possible to see, because of their bright and beautiful shade of blue.

At the back of the balcony, but not yet in the room, was a stone table with strange designs engraved into the legs. She was puzzled by them but continued on to look at the top of the table which held a beautiful book, which seemed to have a strange pull. She pulled it open to see blank pages filling it. She stared at them for a moment before wishing she could figure out what the books purpose was. The books pages suddenly flashed with turquoise light as a beautiful blonde with eyes that were filled with blue and no other color, sparkled as she appeared on the pages. She shut the book in shock and was going to open it until something else caught her eye.

Tessa looked at the next object on the table and was surprised to find a rose in a case… a case that would be over a cake before serving it. This clear case had no bottom and it did not need to, for the red rose was floating in air. Tessa's hand went to the top of the case where a knob rested so she could pull up the case. She did so and stared at the now unprotected rose in awe. She reached her hand to touch it but could not. Tessa had heard a loud roar and had ignored it until a large claw came out at the moment she tried to touch the rose and slashed out her vision. She jumped and looked around to realize the balcony was gone and she was now sitting up in her bed. She was awake.

Tessa had fallen asleep again after waking from her strange dream but it was a dreamless sleep. When she woke once the sun was rising she could not figure what that dream had meant. She remembered the red of the rose vividly, along with the tattered background, and the black of the stone balcony. The claw had to mean something but she decided she was being foolish. Not all dreams had reasons for happening, just like events in books she has read were not always valuable to the story.

She got off her bed and sauntered over to her cherry wood dresser where she kept all her dresses. She removed herself from her navy blue night gown and got dressed in an easy dress for housework. She slipped on her pantaloons and struggled to put her corset on by herself but managed, having to have done this for about a year with the lack of a mother or aunt. Tessa quickly put her petticoat on over her pantaloons and over the corset she put on a white, long-sleeved shirt that she tucked into the petticoat. She grabbed a blue cotton, thin-strip sleeved dress on over that and finally tied onto her waist, her white, waist-high cooking apron over the blue dress.

Once dressed she grabbed _A Tale of Two Cities _from her bedroom night table and slumped over to the kitchen table before putting the book down and lighting a fire on the stove. Tessa decided she would have some tea and read the chapter of her book before going to feed the animals. She poured some water from their watering well into a kettle and put it over the fire to make tea. Once she was done with the water she grabbed the jar full of tea leaves and fished some out for her cup.

Tessa then walked back to the kitchen table and sat down on her chair and began to read where she left off. Tessa was absorbed into the book, where at the moment an English man was on trial for supposedly going to France to trade information with the French during war time between the two countries. It was soon found that he was not the man at all but rather a look alike to a French man who was naturally talking to the French. She was startled by sudden noise but she was not sure if the scream of the tea or the knock at the door scared her more. She could not blame the kettle for screaming, for when she went to the door and opened it, she expected to see Nate, not Axel Mortmain.

He grinned at her and stepped into her house without an invitation and Tessa made a noise of indignation. He had the nerve to come into her house after talking about her brother in such an offensive manner yesterday. He looked around her house with mild-interest, picking up books and clocks and other trinkets to observe. She was about to comment on his intrusion when he suddenly turned around and looked her in the eyes, startling her.

"Your water is going off, Theresa." She took notice to it again and ran off to take the kettle off the fire. The screaming died rapidly as she set the kettle on the cloth of her table. Mortmain grinned and continued, "Do you have any idea why I am here?" Tessa shook her head and in response Mortmain gave her a toothy grin and decided to inform her.

"This is the day that all your wildest, most wonderful dreams will come true."

"My dreams may be more wild already than you imagine," replied Tessa, inching away from Mortmain cautiously, as he got closer to her. He raised an eyebrow at her comment and blinked in surprise before he began to walk toward her with more purpose. He glanced at her book sitting open on the table and shut it, receiving a noise of frustration from Tessa.

"Oh? Your wonderful dreams are ones of a lady, of course. Dreams of children and handsome husbands and things of practical matter. Dreams that revolve me."

"Revolving you? What are you implying Axel?" Tessa asked incredulously.

"That you will have your dream fulfilled. By me. Marry me, Theresa." By now Tessa was cornered by Mortmain at her front door. He had his hands up against the door next to her head and his body was almost pressed to hers. Tessa could not help being uncomfortable and thinking this was improper of him.

"I do not know what to say. I am…speechless!"

"Say you will marry me. Imagine it. Me, coming home from a hard days work, to you cooking dinner with children sitting in the kitchens chairs. They would be smart and attractive. Like me." Mortmain declared without any hesitation. Tessa was becoming nervous as Mortmain continued to talk and his face growing considerably closer to her own.

"I am sorry. I… I just do not deserve you." Tessa whispered in a rush. A moment too late did Mortmain realize her hand was on the handle of the door. She pushed it down and slid her body to the side as Mortmain's weight pushed the door open and he fell through it. Tessa turned to see Mortmain fall over the staircase railings and into a mud bath. Tessa hurriedly shut the door behind her, locking it, and ran to all the doors and windows to shut and lock them too. Once so, she peeked through the front window curtains to see Mortmain spluttering to himself as he walked away from her cottage, trailing mud behind him. He was covered head to toe in it and Tessa could not help but giggle as she waited for him to leave so she could go outside.

Once Mortmain was long gone, Tessa grabbed a ribbon to tie her long chocolate hair behind her ears and then went to feed the chickens. She unlocked the back door and pushed it open to reveal the sacks of chicken meal and the coop. She walked to the chicken food and grabbed a handful before putting it in front of the coop. She did this once more and the chickens came running out to feed on it. The seemed to all stop and stare at it before they immediately began pecking at it frantically. Tessa smiled and went into the barn to feed the horses. She grabbed two handfuls of hay and gave one to each of the two horses.

Finally, when she was done with caring for the animals she sat down on a stack of hay and sighed. She could not even imagine being with Mortmain like that. She could not imagine being married to anyone for the matter. She shuddered at the thought of being forced to do her wifely duties. It was hard to think of.

Tessa got up off the hay stacks and walked towards the trees that surrounded the roads and her house. She laid down once she got to the very edge of the forest and let her back hit the soft carpet of green grass. She looked up into the sky and was caught off-guard to see that for once, the sky was clear of the normal gray clouds that hung over London. Tessa gazed up into the sky and wished there was more to the simple life she was given. She wanted adventure and mystery and all the other elements in her books. The most naïve characters in books got adventure so why was she so different?

Tessa instantly wanted to smack herself for her ignorance. The characters were not real, though they seemed very much so. They were imaginary… along with everyone else that she had grown up with. The books were her friends and it was hard for her to grasp that these friends were just words. But Tessa just wanted a life like no other and she decided it was not her fault if literature was a thing she used as an example for what she wanted.

Tessa was interrupted from her train of thought by the sound of hooves galloping down the dirt road leading to her house. She thought this was abnormal, due to the fact that her house was not only in the outskirts of London, and rarely did anyone came onto this road, but Nate always came a back route.

Tessa ran to the horse when she realized it was her horse. The very horse Nate had left the day before on. As she got closer to her horse, she noticed his harness had been ripped. She looked around as a precaution but did not see Nate. She was very worried because her brother was not here and, by the looks of the harness, the was not released by Nate. He was either attacked or somehow snagged the ropes on something.

She stared at the horse in horror before jumping on its back and yanking on the torn harness. She dug her heels into the horses side and yelled for the horse to proceed to where he had last been. The horse hesitantly obliged.

Surprisingly, she was actually listened to by the steed and was steered to where the harness had been ripped. She looked around hoping for a clue to where Nate could be and found nothing but a few threads on a tree to where her horse was tied and tore free. Tessa tried a little longer to find a sign but only saw dying trees and darkness. Suddenly, lightening flashed through the night sky, lighting up the surrounding hills and the forest. Tessa looked up at the charcoal sky to see a castle looming in the distance. The castle was as dark as the night and even though it let off an eerie feeling, she knew she had to go there.


	5. Decisions

**Author's Note: I know you don't want to hear my excuses so I will be quick with it. I totally lost inspiration. I have an obsessive personality and I got really obsessed with the Hunger Games... and then Phantom of the Opera and Vampire Academy and the list goes on. I love these books, don't get me wrong, but it took a little time to get back on the Infernal Devices train. I had to read the books over again and watch Beauty and the Beast a couple of times to get into the mind set, but I am back. Please excuse any mistakes. I am stubborn and prefer not to have a Beta, though I may need one. Thanks! Love ya all!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Infernal Devices nor do I own Beauty and the Beast. A person can only be so brilliant.**

Chapter 4: Decisions

It was not as difficult to physically get to the castle as it was mentally. Tessa was both frightened and intimidated by the looming castle but she knew to get to Nate, she had to go to the castle. After having her horse climb up the steep paths of rocky hills to get to the shadowy palace, she was met with black iron gates. Tessa got off her horse and walked over to the gates, looking around the castle grounds curiously as she did so. She pushed on them hard and almost fell into the growing puddle of mud beneath her when they finally creaked open.

Tessa tied the horse to a branch of an oak tree on the right foregrounds of the castle and got about two feet closer to the castle doors before the horse started protesting. She stroked his nose and kissed it to calm him before rushing to the doors so she would not be soaked by the downpour. Once she got under the small coverage above the large front doors of the palace, she observed her surroundings. The foregrounds were covered in oak trees, dying and not, and the walkways were surrounded by gargoyles that looked medieval and sinister.

She turned back around and knocked on the doors, just wait for an answer that never came. Tessa waited a few more minutes until the wind started to pick up and blew the rain in her direction, drenching her. She stood outside a moment longer before pulling on the door handle to escape the rain. The rusting iron of the handle ground together as it opened the old door. Tessa rushed in and shut the old mahogany door behind her.

She let out a breath she had no idea she was holding in when she saw the castles interior. The castles Great Room, which was partly covered in tapestries, was dark and oppressive. Tessa was hardly able to make out what was on the tapestries with there being so little light, but when she was able to, she saw they told stories of an old royal family and tales of their ruling. She did not stay by them long because they let off a cold feeling as if the family's great name was somehow…wronged.

Tessa turned to the left side of the room, which was the side not covered in tapestries, and studied the portraits of handsome men and beautiful women. She could not help but pity herself for being so plain compared to such exquisite royalty. Tessa's eyes moved to the dark marble floor which led to several corridors and a marvel of its own. A beautiful grand staircase.

The obsidian staircase was covered in dust and the rails were decorated in cob webs but it was fascinating and beautiful. Like a song in foreign words. Tessa walked slowly towards the staircase in a sort of trance before she realized she was here for only one reason and it was to find Nate.

"Nate! Where are you? Is anyone here?" Tessa yelled in a worried tone. Tessa heard no reply but she thought she heard quiet movement upstairs in a room above her.

Tessa silently walked up the grand staircase and looked around in a few rooms but found nothing but clocks and musical instruments and furniture. It was a little strange how they were positioned, but it was not out of the ordinary. There was no movement or sounds at all which began to irritate her.

"Nate! I refuse to play Hide and Go Seek! Nate?" she yelled again, hoping to the lord that the movement was Nate and not a rat of some sort. She walked through a long hallway that lead to a door and she was about to open the door when she saw a flash of light in the corner of her eyes in an open room.

Tessa walked into what she thought was a room just to find out it was narrow stairway. She was scared by the stairway, not only because she was following disappearing shadows, but because she could not see how far the stairway went up. The latter problem was soon solved by a candle being lit high up the stairs and her seeing a quick movement in the silhouette of the light. She climbed the stairs confidently, knowing a stairway this high was only in a tower and that she had Nate or someone cornered.

She caught her breath as she got to the top room and it was not only covered in shadows, except when lightening flashed through the painted windows, but that she heard hushed voices all around her but with no source.

"Hello? I am here for my brother." Tessa declared in a calm tone as she looked around for anybody.

As a bolt of lightening flashed next to the window, she got a good look at the room. Across from the staircase she had just climbed were four rooms with large locks and small windows to look through that were bared. She belatedly realized, after looking at the small rooms for many moments, that she had climbed into the prisoner tower. She was soon to turn around, thinking with certainty that there was no way her brother could be up here, when there was a clang of metal heard in the cellar farthest from her.

She stared at the cell in shock for a moment before whispering softly. "Nate…?" She heard sudden noises as if there was fast movement inside the cell before she saw a figure against the bars looking at her.

"Tessie?", questioned the figure in a coarse tone. Tessa gasped and rushed to the cell to see her brother dirty and scraped up.

"What has happened? Why are you locked up in an abandoned castle?" Nate stared at his sister in confusion as he tried to gather what was happening.

"Tessa, the castle is not abandoned," Nate notified Tessa. "It is like your stories! There are talking tea pots and chairs and coat racks and a very friendly instrument! I believe he was a viol-"

"Stop this foolishness right now, Nathaniel! Where are the infernal keys?" shouted Tessa in a frustrated manner.

"They are with the…" started Nate before he stopped talking all together. She looked at him expectantly before he looked at her straight in the eyes with an alertness that alarmed her. "Tessie! You need to leave at once! Leave and do not come back!"

"Why? Are you in the middle of a fun game of Hide n' Go Seek with your ol' chap the violin?" Tessa asked mockingly. She was getting extremely irritated with her brother and was not opposed to yelling at him again or threatening to leave him in there. She was soon t voice her thoughts to him when she was jerked back from her brother and crashed into the wall behind her. She shrieked as she crashed against the wall and looked up to see a large and looming figure cloaked in shadows.

"What are you doing here? Who told you, you could trespass into my home?" the shadowy figure roared. Tessa tried to gather if there could be any sympathy or feelings in this person but all she got from the voice was it was male.

"I came to get my brother," she answered, hoping this was enough of an explanation.

"I see no need to release him. He broke into my castle." replied the voice with just as much authority as Tessa's.

"But it is inhumane! And he will go mad if you keep him locked up. He has already started going mad with his talk of speaking tea pots!" The figure seemed to tense at the mention of this but she ignored it, too upset by the matter of her brother.

"Then mad he shall become. He is my prisoner. Leave before I determine the same fate for you." He declared with finality. The finality in the mans words was what finally frightened Tessa. Her beloved brother locked up and wasting away? She could never let that happen to him. Before she could even think it over, Tessa spoke in a confident manner.

"Take me instead."

The man had had to reply over Nathaniel's objections, subtle shock lacing into his words. "You would…take his place?"

"If I did, would he be released?"

A moment of hesitation passed before he responded, "Yes. But… you understand that you would be under the same restrictions as your brother, do you not? For as long as you live."

With that comment Nathaniel cut in, "No, Tessa! I will not allow you to do this! He is a monster! A… a beast!"

The man growled and Tessa stood frozen for a moment, absorbing her brothers words. What had he meant by that? If Nate was referring to the man's soul or conscious that was beyond understood, but Nate was never one to judge on the inside, but more on the… appearance.

"Please… come into the light." Tessa asked in a whisper. For a long moment there was silence. Then the light and shadows began to shift. As the man got closer to the light, his shadow became more exaggerated. His hands became more elongated. His back far too curved. His skin too…there was not a word to describe it. Tessa learned why his shadow looked this way once the light was on him though.

And she wished she was not granted the answer. Tessa gasped in shock as the owner of the castle stepped into the moonlight. Her brother was not wrong. He had sharp fangs that curled over his upper lip, horns that curled above his head, long claws that were on both his hands and feet, and long black hair that covered his large, towering body. He was wearing torn scraps of clothing which hardly fit him. The only reason she did not run away like the damsels in distress that filled her books was because of his piercing blue eyes. No beast could have such sorrowful eyes without owning a human soul.

"Do I have your word to stay as-" the beast tried to ask but was loudly interrupted by Nate.

"Tessie! I cannot-will not-allow you to do this! This beast is nothing but a monster! He will hurt you!"

Tessa let out a silent sob before she stepped into the light. She ignored her brother as she looked up into the beast's eyes and made her choice. A single tear ran down her cheek as she whispered her decision.

"You have my word."

**Tell me what you think and comment! :D**


	6. Limitations

**Hey Guys. I know it has been forever since I have updated but I have just been afraid that I am losing inspiration and going totally OOC. Anyway, thanks for everyone still willing to read this and I hope this chapter does not disappoint. Also, everyone please review and give me ideas of what object each character should be. I am not sure whether I like what I chose for Charlotte or not. Thanks!**

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own the Infernal Devices. Regrettably, Cassandra Clare does.  
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Chapter 5: Limitations

Tessa had very little time to comprehend her transition from liberty to slavery. Right after she had declared away her freedom, the Beast had accepted her compromise and threw open Nate's cell door. The Beast grabbed Nate from the back of the shirt and dragged him out of his cell within the time-span of 5 seconds. Tessa was a statue of shock as she watched the Beast drag her weak brother down the staircase into darkness. She would have rather been a statue, she thought, for a statue would not have to repeatedly see the last image of its brother's heartbroken face.

As she slumped into her prison cell, the beast got to the front foregrounds of the castle and yelled for Thomas. The master of the castle, threw his previous prisoner onto the muddy grass and waited a moment until a carriage came into his view. He opened up the door to the carriage after picking up the thrashing Nathaniel and tossed him-non too lightly- into its center.

"Thomas, I want you to bring this man to the closest town. Once you return, you and Cyril can take that horse tied up to the tree near the front gates and lead it to the stables." the Beast ordered in a condescending tone.

"Yes, master." replied Thomas before shutting his door and taking off into the night. The Beast could still hear Nate's cries for his sister as he walked through the front door to the prisoner tower.

By that time, Tessa's shock had faded enough to allow herself to start crying. As she cried quietly in sorrow, she could hear hushed voices whispering her name, but she ignored it deciding she was delusional.

The Beast began to start up the steps of the prison tower when he heard clangs against the ground and sighed before turning around.

"What is it that you want, Charlotte?" asked the Beast, exasperated. "My time is limited at the moment and I will not waste it on a silly conversation with an ink bottle."

"Do not start with me William. I was not the chooser of this form and obviously neither were you." scolded Charlotte as she came into view. "If you have forgotten William, I raised you, and therefore, you have plenty of time for me." The Beast tried to interject but she continued. "Now, I have seen a girl in this castle and I know she is still here. Sophie notified me that you were planning on keeping her in a cell and I told her she heard wrong, for you were more humane than that. Did she hear wrong?" asked Charlotte in a concerned tone.

The Beast proceeded to march up the stairs, knowing she was following him, but turned around to answer, "Yes, Sophie heard wrong. I was actually going to put her in a desk drawer with you, because I was convinced she would feel at home there. Then she could thank you for being nosy, personally." growled the Beast before turning around and continuing his ascend.

As the Beast stomped up the steps Charlotte jumped in front of him at the top of the stairs and began again with haste," You may be the master of the house but Henry and I are the eldest and you will respect us, William. Now go and give that girl a guest room. After all, we have enough to fit all the citizens of London in them."

"Oh silence yourself, Charlotte! I was not going to keep her in the dungeon and you calling me by my Christian name does not intimidate me! Now leave me be." The Beast replied in finality before storming past Charlotte.

Tessa looked up slowly and saw a small shadow on the wall of the stairwell of what looked to be a feather in a…box? She was not able to get a complete look because it was enveloped by a larger, moving shadow. Tessa looked back down at the stained ground, knowing exactly what the large shadow was and not needing to look at it. She did not need to show the beast that amount of respect.

Tears streamed down Tessa's cheeks as she went deep in her own thoughts, where it was safe and happy. She was only brought back by the large black figure clearing his throat. She slowly trained her eyes on his clawed feet but even by doing that she could tell he…it seemed almost uncomfortable when it began to speak.

"Are you prepared to move?" asked the beast in uncertainty.

"What do you mean?" questioned Tessa, emotionless.

"I was not under the impression that you wanted to spend your time here, rotting in a cell." responded the beast in an almost mocking fashion. Tessa looked up at his face after hearing his response and narrowed her eyes.

"Well, it was not necessarily the preferable choice. But I never really had a choice, had I?" Tessa replied, her anger at the situation slowly coming through. The Beast appeared to raise an eyebrow, showing a bit more of it's familiar sapphire eyes.

"Well then, get up and follow me." the master told her as he turned around and started marching down the steps of the prison tower, not looking behind him to see if she followed. Tessa picked herself up and ran out of her rusting cell to follow him, almost falling down the steps as she attempted to follow the beast's long strides.

Once she finally got to the bottom of the steps she yelled at the Beast in sudden anger and despair. "You never let me say goodbye to him! He is my only family left and I did not even get to say goodbye!"

The beast stayed silent as he kept walking, knowing exactly what it felt like to be without a family. "It easier to depend solely on yourself. Then, when things happen, you have no one but yourself to blame. It is much easier, much safer, when no one loves you."

"Who are you trying to convince of that?" Tessa exclaimed trying to walk side-by-side with the beast so he could not avoid her eyes. "Because that is certainly not convincing me. That was not your place to put me in…What is to become of my brother?" Tessa began to say aloud to herself worry clouding her eyes. She looked up in the eyes of the Beast once more but all she saw was a lonely soul. Tessa began to slow down, walking behind the Beast as she sunk within herself.

Tears began to flow freely down her cheeks once again as she accepted that her only family member left was gone. Her and Nate only had each other and as his only caretaker, he would probably diminish in her absence. She quietly muttered one last time, "I never got to say goodbye." before she attempted to distract herself.

As she followed the Beast through the hallways she decided to observe the interior. And it was definitely something to look at. The pillars along the first floor and the tops of the stairs at the second floor were holding up the high ceilings and along them monsters were etched in their marble. The halls carried a melancholy feel to them and everything seemed to be different shades of black with the clouds and the night sky seeping through the windows.

The only things in the castle that appeared to have some sort of life were the paintings. Every painting seemed as if it were staring at her no matter what the scene in the painting was. Soldiers in bloody battle scenes watched her mid-fight along with other battle scenes. She found it strange that every piece of art in this castle was gruesome or frightening. What brought her out of her observations was the master of the castle beginning to speak.

"The castle is your home now. You may call it what you like but it is where you shall live. You may go anywhere in this castle except for the western end of the castle. That is for only I. Understand?" Tessa was about to object to his demand, but despite being extremely curious of why she was not permitted to enter there, she decided against it and nodded in reply.

Tessa nearly crashed into the Beast's back as he stopped in front of a door painted emerald with gold handles. It nearly screamed for attention compared to the rest of the castles dark coloring and it was beautiful nonetheless. The Beast opened the door and ushered her. She faced him reluctantly as he began to speak again.

"This will be your room. It has the necessities and if something of your need is not here, ask Sophie for it. She honestly has nothing better to do." he smirked and Tessa could not help but wonder if he was being rude or it was some sort of joke. "Now I will see you in an hour for dinner and there is no alternatives. Goodbye."

The beast nodded and quickly shut the door on her before she could object. She opened her mouth and then shut it again before she angrily looked around her new room. She turned to her nightstand and grabbed the vase sitting on top of it. She threw it across the room with all her might and watched it shatter against the large door. She began to sob as she saw the remains of it fall to the floor.

She collapsed onto the bed remembering how her long-dead mother would scold her when she would break things. Tessa wished she was that vase. She might as well have been. All her hopes and dreams were now shattered like that freshly broken vase. But she was not worried about herself. Only for Nate. She buried her face in her arms and cried herself to sleep, dreaming of a life other than hers. One where a happily ever after was not impossible.

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	7. Intrigue

**Honestly I had about given up on this story since I had lost my inspiration. All of my readers that kept reviewing, following and favoriting really motivated me to continue. Thank you for everyone that has been loyal to this story! Please continue reviewing with your thoughts because I truly do read them!**

**Disclaimer: Cassandra Clare owns these characters, I do not.**

Chapter 6: Intrigue

The howling wind cut like a knife as it blew throughout London. It carried falling snow across the sky and starkly contrasted the black night as it plunged to the ground, forming a blanket over the unconscious man outside the busy tavern. As men kicked the snow-covered man to the side to get inside the warm building, it blocked the noise of barking laughter born from this building. One specific man in the tavern wished he could also block the sound of this laughter.

Axel Mortmain glared into the flames of the grand fireplace of his favorite tavern. Though the heads of his kills that hung above the brick fireplace and on the walls normally brought him joy, today they could not. He was reflecting on Tessa's denial of him. He knew he was handsome and a gentleman and most-certainly had enough money for Theresa so he could see no reason why she had rejected him like she had. He had no flaws for her to object to.

"Why are you feeling so gloom, Axel?" he heard a voice ask beside him and turned to see Alexei de Quincey smirking at him and holding out an ale to him.

"You know why, de Quincey." growled Mortmain as he chugged down some of the ale and then threw the rest of the glass into the fireplace, making the flames jump at contact. "Miss Gray disgraced and rejected me of all people. Her reason for denying me is beyond me. No one says no to Mortmain!"

"No one is as talented as you, Axel. You know this!" encouraged de Quincey "Anyone in this bar can agree you are great at everything you do. Remember when you had your trading company in Shanghai or when you opened up one of your mechanical companies in Yorkshire? They used to call you the Magister because it is widely known how brilliant you are."

"It's true Mortmain!" the Dark Sisters agree in unison as they sit at a bench beside the bar. Beginning to feel his ego resurface, he winks at them making them swoon.

"You are right. Any women would be lucky to have me!" Mortmain shouts as he walks to the bar and grabs himself another ale.

"Cheers to that!" Alexei yells, raising his glass and slamming it against Mortmain's. All the men in the bar roar in agreement, clanking their glasses together in celebration of Mortmain and use this as an excuse to drink excessively.

For the next hour it continues like this with yells filling the air from drunk men laughing and slurring their words, giggles emanating from the Dark Sisters as they flirt shamelessly with Mortmain and the crashes of glass and wood breaking as the hourly bar fight occurs.

"Help! Please someone help me!" cries a man as he slams the tavern doors open and limps in. His cry shocks the entire bar out of their laughter and conversations and has them turning in alarm to look at him.

He is covered in snow and his clothing is soaked through making it appear like he had been swimming in the Thames. He begins to limp toward Mortmain, shivering and unable to see straight and nearly falling down. It does not take long for a bar maid to recognize the man, though his skin has begun to turn blue, because he frequents this tavern numerous times a week.

"Nathaniel? Have you been drinking?" she asks worried as she starts forward but he shakes her off attempting to say something.

"More like gambled with the wrong man and got himself beaten unconscious in the snow, Miranda!" shouts some man in the back, granting chuckles throughout the bar.

"P-Please I need your help!" Nathaniel swallows as he tries to form his words, "He has her locked away!"

The bar begins to roar in laughter as they prepare themselves to listen to one of Nate's drunken stories. Frustration setting in Nate looks over to Mortmain, knowing he would be the one person possibly able to help.

"He has Tessie." Nathaniel pleads with Mortmain as he begins to gain his bearings in the warmth of the tavern. The mention of Tessa stops his laughter and he fully turns to look at Nate.

"Who has Theresa locked up, Nathaniel?" asks Mortmain as he tries to take him seriously.

"A beast! With large claws and sharp fangs!" responds Nate helplessly as he looks around the bar for help, pushing his blond bangs from his eyes as water drips onto his face.

"Does he have black hair covering his body?" someone shouts from the tables. Nate nods hurriedly in response.

"He has to be at least 2 meters in height, right Nate?" another person shouts from the bar.

"Yes, that is correct! He is living on the outskirts of the city!" Nate responds hopefully as people snicker around him in the bar.

"Don't worry Nathaniel. We will help you out." answers Mortmain, nodding at a few men and waving them over as he continues to fake concern towards Nate.

"Thank you Axel! Tessie could die!" Nate thanks him gratefully until men grab him by his wet clothing and haul him out of the tavern, throwing him face first back into the snow.

Nate pulls himself up from the snow realizing he should have known that the snow would be warmer then the men in there and picks up a hand full of it to hold against his now bleeding temple. He begins to stride back and forth in defeat, unsure how to save his only living family member and fighting back a sob for how helpless he feels. He decides his only choice is to go home and pack some supplies. He is going to voyage back through the labyrinth of forest to find the beast's palace and save his Tessie.

As the wind slices at Nate's frozen skin as he limps back to the cottage, Mortmain watches him from the window curiously. Could this boy possibly help him win Theresa?

"I know that look all too well Axel. What are you plotting?" Alexei asks behind him with an amused smirk bleeding from his voice and the clanking of ice against his glass ringing in his ear. "I don't suppose that drunkard's words got to you?"

"Alexei, I have been thinking." he starts as he turns to face his friend, ignoring his friends comment of, "Oh dear, not this again."

"I believe we may be able to use Nathaniel as…persuasion for Theresa to marry me." Mortmain slowly grins as he begins to confide in his friend with his plan. "Nathaniel could easily be proven to be unable to take care of himself and possibly unstable. That little cottage and that boy's freedom could easily be taken away."

"You are not suggesting that…"

"I influence my friends at the asylum to become acquainted with Nathaniel and my friends at the bank to take a liking to the quaint cottage outside of town if Theresa does not want my ring on her finger? _Of course not de Quincey. _You are simply evil just to suggest it!" Mortmain acts shocked, inwardly priding himself for his cunning.

"Well, if I am already evil, than it can't hurt to suggest to you that you should also begin this immediately." de Quincey replies with a chuckle, bringing his drink to his lips as Mortmain nods in confirmation.

"I am glad we see eye to eye de Quincey. Let us get started, shall we?" Mortmain brings up his glass and clanks it with Alexei's to celebrate, already beginning to hear his wedding bells ring.


End file.
